Scientists Rewrite Atomic Structure of Glass While It Melts

A team from TU Dortmund, Paderborn, Duisburg-Essen, and Oxford developed a method to modify the chemistry of metal-organic framework (MOF) glasses directly in the melt. The molecule 1,10-phenanthroline lowers the melting point and rearranges bonds around metal atoms, allowing tuning of magnetic and optical properties. Results published in Nature Materials.

• 1,10-phenanthroline acts as flux and reagent, changing metal atom environment
• Method prevents decomposition of materials that degrade before melting
• Approach also applicable to carboxylate framework structures
• Glasses promising for gas storage, batteries, optics, and catalysis